There is little that Amanda Serrano hasn’t done in her boxing career. The first-ballot Hall of Famer, who has hinted at retirement in the lead-up to her unified featherweight title defense Saturday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has little left to accomplish in the boxing ring. Although she has won world titles in more weight classes than any other female boxer (seven) and helped draw the biggest-ever audience for a women’s bout (an average of 74 million tuned into Netflix for her second fight with Katie Taylor), there is one more thing the 37-year-old Serrano will check off her career bucket list in her DAZN card-headlining bout against Reina Tellez: a fight at Coliseo Roberto Clemente.
The significance of fighting at Coliseo Roberto Clemente may be lost on the casual observer, but the venue pales only to Madison Square Garden in its importance in Puerto Rico’s boxing history. Every Puerto Rican ring legend who has emerged since the venue opened in 1973 has fought there, including Felix Trinidad, Hector Camacho, Wilfredo Gomez, Wilfred Benitez and Miguel Cotto.
It’s only fitting that the stadium, named after Puerto Rico’s most beloved sports figure, would play such a vital role in establishing the island’s all-time greats.
Serrano, 47-4-1 (31 KOs), will get to add her name to that list on Saturday – and perhaps even the list that follows below. Here is a look at five of the most memorable fights that have taken place at Coliseo Roberto Clemente:
Muhammad Ali vs. Jean Pierre Coopman
February 2, 1976
When recounting the unparalleled greatness of Muhammad Ali, the story tends to end at the “Thrilla in Manila.” Not only does it make for a more natural conclusion – Ali finally vanquishing his greatest opponent, Joe Frazier, in what many consider to be the greatest boxing match ever – but his story quickly trended downwards from there into the sadness of his twilight.
Jean Pierre Coopman, an unheralded Belgian nicknamed “The Lion of Flanders,” had the unenviable task of trying to follow “Thrilla.”
Less than five months after the hell of Manila, Ali traveled down to San Juan to defend his title against the man he dubbed “The Bum from Bell-Jum.” Normally, that would be a stiff insult (even by Ali’s standards), but Coopman, who entered the fight with a 24-3 record, had fought no one of note in a career that was built almost exclusively in his home country.
It was clear early on that Ali could have gotten rid of Coopman any time he wanted as he stepped around the ring, touching him with everything he threw at him in the first round. After swelling up Coopman’s face, Ali opted to take his time and give the local fans a show. Ali seemed to bore of his opponent’s company in the fifth when, after dancing on his toes earlier in the round, he planted his feet and landed two separate four-punch combinations, punctuated by the right uppercut that ended the fight.
"He hit me with a right hook and everything started to spin," Coopman told reporters afterwards. "I felt like 500 pounds was falling on me and I fell."
After embracing Coopman and sharing some words of encouragement following the 10-count, Ali then told the cold truth to reporters.
“I would have got him in the first round,” Ali said. “[Sonny] Liston gave me less trouble.”
Anyways, if you’re ever on “Jeopardy!” and get asked what was the only heavyweight championship fight to take place in Puerto Rico, just remember to answer this fight – in the form of a question, of course.
Edwin Rosario vs. Jose Luis Ramirez I
May 1, 1983
When people think of Edwin Rosario vs. Jose Luis Ramirez, they generally think of their rematch, which was the 1984 Fight of the Year. Some may not realize that they fought twice – not because the first fight was a dud, but because it was followed by an instant classic.
Rosario, a power puncher from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, became a champion for the first time on the night of that first fight, winning a 7-5 unanimous decision for the vacant WBC lightweight title. After a quick start by Rosario, who entered the fight unbeaten at 21-0, the southpaw Ramirez began dragging him into deep waters, closing Rosario’s right eye and drawing blood from his mouth. Ramirez believed he had done enough to return home to Culiacan, Mexico, with the belt.
"You can tell by looking at his face," Ramirez was quoted by the Associated Press. "Here, you have to win by a knockout."
Ramirez must have had that advice in the back of his head as he returned to Puerto Rico the following year for a rematch at Estadio Hiram Bithorn, which is located next door to Coliseo Roberto Clemente. Although he had to get off the canvas early, Ramirez got his revenge by fourth-round stoppage in a fight that elevated both fighters.
Orlando Salido vs. Juan Manuel Lopez II
March 10, 2012
The rematch between Juanma Lopez and Orlando Salido was supposed to be Lopez’s opportunity at vindication following his defeat in their first bout. Instead, it ended in a bizarre accusation from Lopez that further hurt his standing in the sport.
Lopez, who had been stopped in eight brutal rounds 11 months earlier by Salido, was hoping a second shot at Salido would not only allow him to regain his WBO featherweight title but also his reputation as a rising star in the sport. By the fourth round, however, it was clear that Lopez was not able to turn the bout into the boxing match he had envisioned, as Salido’s left hook was cutting off Lopez’s movement and a left uppercut had wobbled him.
Lopez turned the fight around momentarily in the following round when a right hook put Salido down, but the action was getting uglier as time went on, with Salido taking the punches better than Lopez did. Lopez fought bravely, meeting fire with fire, but his bid for revenge was ended in the 10th when a right uppercut sent him crashing to the canvas. He beat the count but was wobbling on unsteady legs, leading to referee Roberto Ramirez Snr justifiably stopping the fight.
Lopez disagreed.
In the post-fight interview, Lopez claimed he was dominating the fight, despite landing 98 fewer punches, and then accused the referee of having a gambling problem, which he says factored into the decision to stop the fight. Lopez would have his license suspended by the Puerto Rican commission for his comments, which he claimed afterwards he did not recall saying.
Samuel Serrano vs. Tae Ho Kim
November 19, 1977
You can’t tell the story of Samuel Serrano without mentioning Coliseo Roberto Clemente. Serrano fought 16 of his 57 pro fights at the venue, including the second leg of a two-night boxing event that opened the stadium in February 1973, just two months after the death of Clemente, the legendary Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer. Naturally, Serrano, a two-time WBA junior lightweight titleholder, would stand a good chance of making this list. Although narrowing his legacy at the arena to just one fight is difficult, his fourth title defense against Kim stands out as the most dramatic.
Serrano, who was born in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, admitted beforehand that he held Korea’s unbeaten but untested Kim in low regard, saying his eight previous opponents were “either Joe Blow or John Smith.”
It’s likely that Serrano was singing a different tune by the third round, when Kim rocked Serrano with a left hook, then put him flat on his back moments later with a right hand high to the head. Serrano was out on his feet at the end of the round, and his trainer had to redirect him to their corner after he jogged to a neutral corner as the bell sounded.
Despite his earlier peril, Serrano recovered by the following round, rocking Kim with a right hand that forced him to hold on. Kim, an all-out banger during a time when South Korea produced a lot of them, refused to back down, fighting on as if he were unfazed by the steady stream of right hands that were bouncing off his head. The skill gap between the two widened as each round progressed, but Kim never stopped throwing each punch with knockout intentions. The accumulation of punches finally was too much for him to overcome, as Kim was knocked down after leaping into a Serrano jab, which connected with his eye. Kim rose, but the fight was waved off as Kim wandered away, with blood streaming from a left eye that was closed shut.
Perhaps not coincidentally, there was concern that Kim would not be cleared to fight, as he was reportedly cut before the fight while sparring with a Puerto Rican fan. The fight was judged by one Puerto Rican judge, one South Korean judge and a third “neutral” judge from Los Angeles (which, like Puerto Rico, is part of the United States). Although the Puerto Rican and American judge had Serrano winning by three and four points, respectively, Korean judge Wan Soo Yuh was apparently not watching the same fight, having given every round to Kim and turning in an indefensible scorecard of 90-78 at the time of stoppage.
Serrano, who appears each year on the International Boxing Hall of Fame ballot, would make six more successful defenses of his belt before losing by sixth-round KO to Yasutsune Uehara in 1980’s Upset of the Year. He regained the title the following year in a rematch of Uehara. Kim never returned to the world stage, retiring two years later after losing a decision to Kwang Min Kim.
Wilfredo Gomez vs. Carlos Zarate
October 28, 1978
The rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico is probably the most storied in the sport’s history, and this is the fight that made it what it is. The fight launched Wilfredo Gomez into national hero status, while convincing Carlos Zarate that maybe he could still make the bantamweight limit of 118lbs.
The showdown was highly anticipated in boxing circles, with both entering the fight as unbeaten champions and with almost all of their wins having come by knockout. Zarate, the WBC bantamweight belt holder, was Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year in 1977 and occupied the No. 1 spot on its pound-for-pound list. He was making his second trip to Puerto Rico that year, having knocked out Andres Hernandez in 13 rounds that April. Gomez, already a well-known figure in Puerto Rico after representing the island at the 1972 Olympics, was making the sixth defense of the WBC junior featherweight title he had won the year prior.
The atmosphere in the arena was electric as over 12,000 fans packed into the venue. Gomez tried to offset Zarate’s aggression early on with lateral movement and an educated jab, while Zarate tried to find openings against his mobile opponent. Gomez showed in Round 2 that he too could crack, rocking Zarate in the corner with his left hook and right hand.
The raucous crowd found a new decibel level in the fourth when a left hook from Gomez put Zarate on the canvas for the first time. Gomez stood over the downed Zarate, seemingly looking for permission to hit him again, before being ushered to a neutral corner for the count. The volume of the crowd may have played a factor in referee Harry Gibbs not hearing the bell, which rang multiple times before Gomez landed the right hand that sent Zarate down a second time. Zarate got up almost immediately, and with no count having been administered, Gomez tried to punch him again before Gibbs stepped between the fighters.
Gibbs’ troubles controlling the action carried into the following round as Gomez hurt Zarate with a hook and right hand, sending him falling into the ropes. Instead of ruling a knockdown, Gibbs allowed the action to resume, at which point an out-on-his-feet Zarate fell down while missing a left uppercut, and was hit by a right hand while down on all fours.
What bailed Gibbs out from having to make a tough decision was that Zarate’s trainer threw in the towel immediately after the illegal punch landed, bringing an end to the fight and Zarate’s unbeaten streak.
“It was the easiest fight of my life,” Gomez confidently declared.
Zarate would return to 118lbs the following year, losing his title in a controversial split decision to Lupe Pintor. Gomez would win his next 10 fights before he had his own trouble moving up in weight, losing by knockout to Salvador Sanchez in his next significant Puerto Rico-versus-Mexico clash. The two never met again in the ring, but they would eventually find a place together at the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
